Beware the Thorns
by Integra Hawke
Summary: AU Warden at the time of Landsmeet. The stage is set but who will come out victorious? I have survived Ostagar and the Deep Roads, fought Templars and demons but who am I really?


_**This started off as a weird dream that I had one night and felt the need to write out to share with close friends. I took the time to rewrite a few parts of it, agonized over a title and finally decided to post it. I know, it's probably the only one shot that I'll ever manage. As always, all characters belong to BioWare. I'm just muddling the waters here.  
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_**Thanks to my good friend, KrisJFern, who always supports my evil thoughts. To Brenna and Lyall who constantly press me to share the madness.**_

_** Enjoy!  
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_**Beware the Thorns**_

I watched as the last noble made his way quickly out of the Landsmeet chamber, barely giving our little group a backwards glance. The fate of all of Ferelden lies in the outcome of this final confrontation on who will lead the gathered armies against the darkspawn. By all rights, the Wardens had accomplished the impossible and it is on my suggestion that we find ourselves in the now empty hall with the man who cost us the battle so long ago. He had abandoned countless men and women to face an enemy they were unprepared for. His actions divided all of Ferelden and left us without a King in our time of need.

_**Run**, _I thought. **_Run like the cowards you are._**

I stood facing the proud general, the Hero of Riverdane in his heavy armor with barely disguised hatred in his eyes as he looked from both me and my fellow Warden. We had won the Landsmeet but he would not surrender quietly. To minimize the bloodshed, I suggested that the nobles leave the chamber. If it was a fight to the death he wanted, I felt there was no need to involve them.

There are only the four of us: the last Ferelden Wardens with Loghain and Anora, who would not leave her father's side. Alistair steps forward to face Loghain, asking for the right to fight the man who left Duncan to die. It is the first time he has taken any initiative so I nod and take a step back to give him the room he needs. I know this is what has been driving him all these months, this hatred that has been burnt into his soul. This is his only chance to make Loghain pay for his crimes at Ostagar. I see that he's grateful to me and turns, unsheathing his sword as I reach for my own weapon of choice.

**_This is the chance I have waited for_.**

I sneak up behind him with a small dagger, stabbing him underneath his arm where the armor is thinnest. Alistair turns to me, his face twisted in pain and disbelief. I laugh as I turn the blade and he yelps when I yank it out. He drops his shield to try to stop the bleeding but the damage is done. His arm is useless. I remove his sword even though I know he no longer has strength to wield it.

"Now, this is a predicament, isn't it, Warden?" Loghain asks smugly as Alistair turns back to him, blood bubbling on his lips. "I'd like for you take a closer look at your _Lady_ _Cousland_," he said as I walk up to the older man, bowing as I present the sword. It had once belonged to the late King Marric.

"Who...who are you?" he gasps in pain.  
>"Someone who hates you beyond all measure," I say as I glide back towards him, walking behind him and kicking him hard so that he falls to his knees. It takes everything he has not to topple face forward as I drop the cumbersome shield I carried, followed by the sword that was not mine. They belonged to <em>her<em>. Last was the mask I wore, allowing him to see the hatred that I have held in check from the moment I met him at Ostagar.

_**Murderer**!_ I restrain myself from yelling at him.

"Duncan..."

"Yes, your precious Duncan was waylaid on his way to Castle Cousland by mercenaries," I said as I sway around him, laughing on the countless times he used to watch me and thought I did not notice. "It really is such a shame that he was much too late to save the Teyrn's family. He was on his way to gather more Grey Warden recruits and the youngest was rumored to be a warrior better than any other. I should know. I had seen her fight enough times that I was ready for her."

I could see the question flash across his face and I continued. "It was easy enough to blend in with the countless maids around the castle. More than enough, really, so as to blend in unnoticed by all but a few and they didn't live long enough for me to worry about. The fight really was a close call. I almost didn't defeat her but I knew I needed to be a little bloody when I was _rescued_. Duncan couldn't tell that I wasn't who I claimed to be," I said as I stopped right in front of him. "Even Cailan couldn't tell me from the last piece of ass he was constantly bedding."

"Why?" he asked quietly, reaching his hand out to me and I jerked angrily away from him, backhanding him instead.

"Did you think we would allow Marric's only son to marry the Orlesian wench?" Loghain spat out. "Was my daughter not good enough for him that he needed to _whore _himself out?"

"Why are you doing this? After all this time…"

I stopped and looked at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "I was an orphan much like you were when I first met the Teyrn. His wife took pity on me," I paused. "One day he found me practicing sword play with the smith's son and decided that I should be trained properly."

"Why…risk becoming a Warden?" he rasped, struggling to speak past the pain he felt.

"There really was no other way around that and someone needed to make sure things went according to plan even though Cailan tried to keep you out of the battle." I reach out and grab his chin, jerking him face up towards me. "It was a chance I was willing to take."

"Howe…"

"He simply outgrew his usefulness," I explain. I know he is stalling but can't help but enjoy the pain written across his face as he moved his chin out of my grasp.

"Loghain…" he struggled to breath. "Loghain is just using you!" he managed.

I sneer at him and raise my arm to hit him once again when Anora cleared her throat. I move away from him as I slowly, reluctantly lower my arm.

"It's time to end this," Anora said calmly. I turned and nodded to her.

"As you wish, my queen," I said and walk back towards him slowly.

"Didn't you ever wonder why I wouldn't accept your offer, Alistair? It was actually really _pathetic_ that you thought I wanted to wait for our wedding night when I've been sleeping with the assassin the entire time," I said softly as I kneeled in front of him so I could get a good look at him, leaning in close as I took out another dagger.

"This is for my mother!" I whisper in his ear the moment before I thrust the blade upwards through the chinks in his armor, hearing his breath hiss out and the light leave his eyes.

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading. All comments are welcome! ^_~ If you have questions, make sure your account allows PM's. Thanks!<br>_**


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